Scaffold for ship construction



D. McLEOD.

SCAFFOLD FOR SHIP CONSTRUCTION..,

APPLICATION FlLED nmza. ma.

'1 ,334:,662. Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

IIIVENTOR BY W M ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

DONALD rrcnnonyor Tacoma. WASHINGTON.

SCAIEFO LD FOR SHIP CONSTRUCTION.

To cZZwiwm it may concern: a Be it known that I, DONALD MoLnoD, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, and resident of the city of Tacoma, county of Pierce, and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scalfolds for Ship Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in scaffolds and more particularly to scalfolds employed in ship construction and it has for its object the provision of an improved device of this nature constructed in such manner as to adapt it .to support platforms of varying widths.

This is desirable because the practice varies in different ship yards, with respect to the number of planks employed to constitute aplatform and in addition, the fact that the sides of ships are not constructed on straight lines results in certain portions of the ship being spaced farther from the upright portion of the sca'lfolding than other portions thereof and it therefore becomes desirable to provide means for easily and quickly varying the extent to which the platform supporting parts of the structure project beyond the vertical portions of the scaffolding in accordance with the space available.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a structure of the character indicated which will possess the necessary rigidity when in use but will be capable of being folded to occupy a smaller space when being transported from place to place.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows:

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the scaffold brackets which constitute the platform supports 5 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the bracket in partly folded position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the position they occupy when reversed; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a number of the scaffold brackets supported upon upright members which constitute the frame of the scalfold.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

Application filed becember 23, 1918. Serial No. 267,947.

In thedrawing numerals 1 designate uprights, which with the connecting trans verse members 3 constitute the upright por' tions of the frame of the scaffold. tiecured to the; transverse members 3 are scaffold brackets each comprising a pair of members pivotally connected end to end, and either of. which is adapted to constitute the ele ment that is secured to the corresponding transverse member 3. In the present i11- stance I have shown the members -l as be ing secured to the transverse members 3 wlnle the members 9 are pivotally connected to the members a at 13. Each of the members a and 9 of the bracket is formed of angle iron of L shape in cross section and the vertical portions of the members 9 project into spaces formed between the vertical portions of the members a and plates 6, said plates being held in spaced relation to the vertical portions of the members t by filling blocks 7, the several parts being tied together by rivets or other fastening devices 7.

It will be noted by referring to Fig. 5 that the members 9 are materially shorter than the members l, and it will also be seen that each of the members l and 9 is provided with openings a and 9 respectively, which serve to receive belts or other fastening devices, indicated at 14, by which the scaffold brackets are secured to the corresponding transverse members 3. It will be noted that by virtue of the construction described the inner ends of the vertical portions of the members 9 are brought into alinement with the filling blocks 7, and these parts are correspondingly beveled at 10 and 8, respectively, in such manner as to per mit these members to be folded above the horizontal with respect to each other but not below the horizontal. Furthermore the confronting portions of the members l and 9 abut each other at 12 and 16 and this further aids in imparting the necessary rigidity to the structure. It is to be noted that when the scaffold brackets are attached to the transverse members 3 of the frame work of the scalfold, the pivot points 13 he outwardly of the said uprights. If it becomes neccssary to move the scalfold as a whole from one place to another the members 9 may be folded over upon the members 4: during the transportation of the scaffold. It will readily be understood that when the members l are secured to the transverse members 3 the horizontal portions of the stood that when the members 9 are secured to. the transverse members 3 by the reversal of the scafiold'brackets the horizontal portions of the members 4 thenconstitute the support for said planks.

ItilS .to be understood'that the invention isinot limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview Whatever changesfairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is-newand desire to protect by Letters Patent, is:

A- scafiold comprising a structure including uprights and substantially horizontal transverse members fixed to and uniting said uprights in combination with platform supports secured to said transverse members, eachof saidsupports including a pair of members pivotally connected end to end in such manner as to permit them to fold upwardly above the horizontal but not downwardly beyondthe horizontal, the distance from the pivot point to the end of one of said members being materially greater than thedistance from the said pivot point to the endlof the other of said members and means for attaching each of the members of the several supports to the horizontal members with the pivot point thereof lying outside ofthe said'uprights.

Signed at Seattle, lVashington, this 14th day of December,.1918.

DONALD McLEOD. 

